Do Indian channels air in Nepal and Bangladesh?
Indian leisure channels, significantly in Hindi and Bengali, are broadly standard in Nepal and Bangladesh. An inventory of obtainable channels in Nepal Telecom’s checklist exhibits choices from Zee, Star, Sony and Viacom, and comparable choices can be found on Bangladeshi TV distributors’ networks. Like in India, among the Indian channels can be found with fundamental packs, and others can be found with add-ons. Nepal and Bangladesh obtain a separate feed of Indian channels, generally known as a “clear feed”. This is as a result of advertisements on channels in India could also be for merchandise or variants of merchandise which can be unavailable in these international locations. Channels usually spend further to create this separate feed, and uplink it to satellites or cable suppliers licensed to function in Nepal and Bangladesh (India has comparable uplinking and downlinking laws). As these are worldwide offers, Indian broadcasters usually cost {dollars} from international international locations the place their feeds are performed.
Nepal and Bangladesh, like India, have in depth broadcast laws, significantly focusing on international broadcasters. Bangladesh, as an illustration, requires international broadcasters to make use of satellites which can be managed by native companies, an costly prospect. Similarly, Nepal abruptly launched its à-la-carte channel bundling guidelines for cable operators virtually in a single day in 2023, with guidelines that matched India’s New Tariff Order, however with not one of the discover, sending international broadcasters right into a tailspin to conform.
Why are Nepal and Bangladesh companies not paying Indian broadcasters?
Payment points are usually not unusual for Indian companies working in these international locations. In Bangladesh, as an illustration, Adani Power was not paid for months on finish after the ouster of former president Sheikh Hasina. Nepalese telcos confronted a funds disaster with Airtel, whose terrestrial cables present a big portion of the nation with Internet, in 2023.
In Bangladesh’s case, the financial fallout of Ms. Hasina’s ouster has led to the nation prioritising key areas for clearing dues and investing restricted funds, one broadcasting govt advised The Hindu. Media and leisure, because it seems, has not been a key precedence space, with the nation selecting to focus funds it acquired — together with from a current World Bank mortgage — in medication and electrical energy dues, amongst different issues.
Both international locations, nonetheless, have an added complication — their respective governments should approve the problem of international alternate that firms have to make good on these offers. As such, even when a distributor is sweet for the cash, stonewalling from the ministry or central financial institution has led to funds stopping, one other govt advised The Hindu.
As a results of these components, each international locations’ distributors owe above ₹350 crore to Indian companies. Nepal owes ₹100 crore whereas the remainder of the quantity is due from Bangladesh. While a first-rate ministerial go to to India by Nepal was due, Nepal Prime Minister Okay.P. Sharma Oli resigned within the wake of mass protests in September, growing uncertainty for all companies because the interim authorities works towards a recent election.
Can broadcasters minimize off their feeds?
Unlike Adani Power and Airtel, broadcasters don’t have a lot leverage over defaulters in international international locations. Airtel supplies Nepal with Internet entry, which the landlocked nation can not get hold of from an undersea cable. Adani Power’s electrical energy transmission strains actually preserve the lights on. Both of those companies can throw these international locations into chaos in the event that they minimize off entry.
Broadcast executives fear, nonetheless, that in the event that they minimize off their clear feeds, Nepalese and Bangladeshi TV distributors would merely purchase an Indian satellite tv for pc TV receiver, and pirate the feed from there. This has occurred earlier than, and coming into these markets legitimately with a payment was already an enormous problem. Doing so once more can be a tall order, they complain. Nepalese cable operators have brazenly flouted Indian broadcasters’ mental property rights by merely protecting up a pirated feed’s brand and changing it with their very own, one broadcaster complained.
Same in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the place Indian broadcasters haven’t been working for years.
International agreements like this usually have an arbitration clause, however broadcasters have little confidence within the authorized methods of the 2 international locations to have the ability to implement such arbitral orders.
Executives have additionally complained of Indian diplomatic missions’ restricted affect in urging international governments to clear these dues. India maintains an intensive diplomatic presence in each Dhaka and Kathmandu, with financial and cultural connectés, one govt stated, however firms typically discover themselves fending for themselves, or if they’ve a international shareholder, making an attempt their luck by making representations to diplomats of that nation.
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